in UEFA qualification group 8. Scotland got off to a good start with two wins against Finland and a draw in Poland, but then conceded two late goals to lose 2–1 to Poland at home. A 1–0 home win against Italy kept hopes alive going into the final game, where Scotland either needed to win in Italy to qualify or draw to force another play-off. Several first choice players withdrew due to injury; Scotland lost 3–0 and failed to qualify. Stein relinquished the Scotland job after this defeat to concentrate on his full-time role with Celtic. 1970s Now managed by Bobby Brown, Scotland were drawn with West Germany, Austria and Cyprus in their 1970 qualification group. Scotland started well, beating Austria at home and scoring 13 goals in the two matches against Cyprus. A draw at home with West Germany meant that Scotland needed to avoid defeat in the return game to retain any hope of qualification. Scotland scored first in Hamburg, and then equalised midway through the second half, but succumbed to a 3–2 defeat. Willie Ormond was appointed Scotland manager in 1973. Ormond lost his first match in charge 5–0 to England, but recovered to steer Scotland to the 1974 World Cup finals in West Germany. Scotland then achieved their most impressive performance at a World Cup tournament, as the team was unbeaten but failed to progress beyond the group stages on goal difference. After beating Zaire, they drew with both Brazil and Yugoslavia, and went out because they had beaten Zaire by the smallest margin. This performance has been assessed as a "gallant failure", but the choice to retain possession instead of pressing for more goals against Zaire has been criticised. Scotland appointed Ally MacLeod as manager in 1977. Scotland qualified for the 1978 FIFA World Cup with victories over Czechoslovakia and Wales. During the build-up to the tournament, MacLeod fuelled the hopes of the nation by stating that Scotland would come home from Argentina with a medal. As the squad left for the finals, they were given an enthusiastic send off as they were paraded around a packed Hampden Park. Thousands more fans lined the route to Prestwick Airport as the team set off for South America. This enthusiasm was not just generated internally, as respected coaches such as Rinus Michels and Miljan Miljanić rated Scotland amongst the favourites to win the competition. The Royal Mail